Neville Kahn, one of the administrators of collapsed music chain HMV, once
admitted he’s probably got a record for the number of people he’s made
redundant.

As Deloitte’s restructuring man, or more formally head of the firm’s Reorganisational Services, he has played executioner to Woolworths whose collapse cost 36,000 jobs. Other high-profile casualities he’s presided over include Waterford Wedgwood, Barratts Shoes and Jarvis.

Mr Khan is always keen to point out that administration is not always about last rites. He presided over the administration of Mosaic group, which ended up selling its four brands – Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen – to Aurora Fashions.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph he said: “What we do is fix problems. We deal with a lot of issues and sometimes that means we have to amputate a limb to try and rescue the patient,” says Kahn. “But it is not easy and you definitely lose a lot of sleep.

“There is a huge amount of pressure, especially when you are affecting so many people’s lives. But ultimately, the businesses we are looking at are in distress and you have to work with the hand you have been dealt.”

Since joining Deloitte in 2001, Mr Kahn has built an impressive and large restructuring unit. Previously he spent 20 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has said he became an accountant in accordance with his father’s wishes - his first ambition was to work for the family business, a camping shop in London’s West End.

“I loved working on the shop floor,” he told the Telegraph. “I once sold a parka to the Duchess of Kent which made my dad endlessly pleased. But he thought that getting a profession was the right thing for a good Jewish boy so I became a chartered accountant.”

He joined Coopers & Lybrand, which later merged with Price Waterhouse. An enthusiastic Arsenal FC supporter, keen golfer, and active member of his local Jewish community, Mr Kahn is married and has three children.